BO JACKSON AND BRIAN BOSWORTH GO HEAD-TO-HEAD ON THE 8-BIT GRIDIRON IN TECMO BOWL-INSPIRED AD CAMPAIGN FOR THE KIA SORENTO SUV
Bo and The Boz Face Off Once Again as Kia’s Largest and Most Capable Utility Vehicle Uses Power and Agility to Safely Zig and Zag Up and Down the Field
- “MVP of SUV’s” campaign includes the 30-second “Tecmo Bros” as well as 30- and 60-second “Tecmo Bo” spots available now at YouTube.com/Kia; 30-second ads will make their broadcast debuts this month on NBC’s “Sunday Night Football”
- Ads take football fans – and the advanced crash avoidance and infotainment technologies of Kia’s best-selling SUV – inside one of the most influential video games of all time
IRVINE, Calif., September 8, 2016 – Football is back! And nearly 30 years after crossing paths in Seattle, football legends Bo Jackson and Brian Bosworth find themselves once again on a collision course – but this time with a very different result – in a new advertising campaign debuting online today for Kia Motors’ award-winning Sorento. When the “MVP of SUV’s” effort makes its broadcast debut this Sunday, it will mark Kia’s third consecutive season with NBC’s “Sunday Night Football,” and offer a new twist on Tecmo Bowl, still considered one of the best sports video games ever nearly three decades after its release.
Blending live action footage with Tecmo Bowl’s signature 8-bit graphics and sound effects, the two spots – “Tecmo Bros” and “Tecmo Bo” – place the Sorento in the center of the action; and with unstoppable running back Bo Jackson behind the wheel, the advanced technology and driver assistance features of the “MVP of SUVs” allows him to dominate once more, with only Brian Bosworth standing between him and the goal line in “Tecmo Bros.”
“At Kia, we are always looking to stand out, and using the Sorento to take football fans inside a beloved video game and bring two legendary players roaring back in all their 8-bit glory was an opportunity that was simply too good to pass up,” said Michael Sprague, chief operating officer and EVP, Kia Motors America (KMA). “Sunday Night Football has been the top-rated primetime show for five straight years, and after our football-themed advertising helped push Sorento sales up more than 13 percent in 2015, returning this year was a no-brainer.”
Created by David&Goliath, KMA’s advertising agency of record, the “MVP of SUV’s” campaign showcases the 2017 Sorento’s extensive list of standard and available driver assistance and infotainment features, including: Forward Collision Warning and Autonomous Emergency Braking1; an intelligent and fully active all-wheel drive system; and the latest generation of Kia’s voice-activated UVO infotainment and telematics system featuring Android AutoTM2 and Apple®3 CarPlay which can be paired with a 630-watt, 12-speaker Infinity®4premium audio system that uses Clari-FiTM4 technology to rebuild audio details lost in digitally compressed music.
“Football fans remember these legendary players, and paired with the ever-lasting popularity of Tecmo Bowl, we believed these were the perfect channels to communicate the power, intelligence and nimble handling of the Sorento,” said Colin Jeffery, chief creative officer, David&Goliath. “The play on technology in terms of blending the old video game graphics with the new advancements in the Sorento illustrates just how far Kia has come and how advanced this SUV truly is.”
About the 2017 Kia Sorento
Kia Motors America’s best-selling SUV, the 2017 Sorento, has earned top honors – Top Safety Pick Plus (TSP+) – from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) when equipped with optional front-crash prevention. The 2017 Kia Sorento, built at Kia’s U.S. manufacturing plant in West Point, Georgia*, enters its second model year as a carry-over. Kia’s best-selling CUV receives new technology such as Android Auto™ and Apple CarPlay® (late availability), as well as two new packages for greater flexibility – the Advanced Touring Package and the Advanced Technology Package. The 2017 Sorento is available with many driver-assistance systems including Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), Advanced Smart Cruise Control, Lane Departure Warning System (LDWS), Blind Spot Detection (BSD), Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA), and HID headlights with Dynamic Bending Light (DBL) technology, high-beam assist (HBA), and rear parking assist1. In addition, the 2017 Sorento carries over into its second model year with two new packages that add greater flexibility – the Advanced Touring Package and the Advanced Technology Package. The third-generation Sorento is available in five trim levels.
The handsomely equipped LX, EX, SX, and SXL models are powered by a 2.4-liter four-cylinder that produces 185 horsepower and 178 lb-ft. of torque, or a 3.3-liter V-6 that makes 290 horsepower and 252 lb.-ft. of torque, while the EX trim is also available with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that produces 240 horsepower and 260 lb.-ft. of torque. Sorento continues to offer an advanced AWD system that automatically routes power to the wheel with the most traction, while inside, the Sorento delivers class-up premium materials, offering the perfect combination of refinement and capability.
About Kia Motors America
Kia Motors America (KMA) is the marketing and distribution arm of Kia Motors Corporation based in Seoul, South Korea KMA proudly serves as the "Official Automotive Partner" of the NBA and LPGA and set an all-time annual sales record in 2015, surpassing the 600,000 unit mark for the first time in company history. Kia offers a complete line of vehicles in the U.S., including the rear-drive K900** flagship sedan, Cadenza premium sedan, Sorento CUV, Soul urban passenger vehicle, Soul Electric Vehicle***, Sportage compact CUV, Optima midsize sedan, Optima Hybrid, the Forte compact sedan, Forte5 and Forte Koup, Rio and Rio 5-door subcompacts and the Sedona minivan, through a network of more than 765 dealers across the United States. Kia’s North American manufacturing operations include plants in West Point, Georgia*, and the municipality of Pesqueria in the state of Nuevo Leon, Mexico.
Information about KMA and its full vehicle line-up is available at www.kia.com. For media information, including photography, visit www.kiamedia.com. To receive custom email notifications for press releases the moment they are published, subscribe at www.kiamedia.com/us/en/newsalert.
* The Sorento and Optima GDI (EX, SX & Limited and certain LX Trims only) are assembled in the United States from U.S. and globally sourced parts.
1 These systems are not substitutes for proper and safe driving, parking, and/or backing-up procedures. Always drive safely and use caution. These systems may not detect every object behind or alongside the vehicle or in the vehicle’s blindspot or direction of travel.